We were once the greatest endurance runners on earth. We didn’t have fangs, claws, strength or speed, but the springiness of our legs and our unrivaled ability to cool our bodies by sweating rather than panting enabled humans to chase prey until it dropped from heat exhaustion. Some speculate that collaboration on such hunts led to language, then shared technology. Running arguably made us the masters of the world.

So how did one of our greatest strengths become such a liability? “The data suggests up to 79 percent of all runners are injured every year,” says Stephen Messier, the director of the J. B. Snow Biomechanics Laboratory at Wake Forest University. “What’s more, those figures have been consistent since the 1970s.” Messier is currently 11 months into a study for the U.S. Army and estimates that 40 percent of his 200 subjects will be hurt within a year. “It’s become a serious public health crisis.”

1 comments :: The Quest for the Perfect Run

This is really fascinating. After I read the article, I spend 20 minutes watching Pose Method videos on you tube. It's amazing how faulty conclusions with some marketing 50 years ago can alter in us the most BASIC HUMAN physiology. The funniest thing about watching the Pose Method videos is that it makes so much sense, it's a no brainer. Especially when you look at the prosthetic "cheetah" legs (http://www.ossur.com/?PageID=13462), which I always thought seemed like an actual advantage in running because of the spring and cushioning of the prosthetics - its just emulates the Pose Method. Incredible.

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